Cooling arrangement for brake drums



Dec. 9, 1941. C, L EKSERGIAN 2,265,938

COOLING ARRANGEMENT FOR BRAKE DRUMS Filed Nov. 10, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheelt 1.

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o \Q o) R I 'i Y m i N & y m l ya N BY f ATTORNY Dec. 9, 1941. c. L. EKsERGlAN ,2,265,933 'A COOLING ARRAIIG'EMENT` FOR BRAKE DRUMS Filed Nov. io, 1939' sheets-sheet 2' J2 a2 V/7 'L 30 30 44 ,v v 4 I Y. 4 Q0 i:

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5% 55 57 56 INVENTOR- amzzsLE/Ze/gzan v BY I f@ n Mmmm Dec. 9, 1941. c. EKsl-:RGIAN I 2,265,938I

COOLING ARRANGEMENT FOR BRAKE DRUMS Filed Nov. l0, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR:

' BY f Mfw I ATTORNEY the drum at the same time.

Patented Dec. 9, 1941 COOLING AnaANcEnmN'r ron BRAKE Y nous Carolus L. llk'serglan,I Detroit, Mich., assignor` Budd Wheel Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a' corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 1o, 1939. sonni No. 303,788

s claims. (ci. 1ss` zsii 'Ihe present invention relates to means for cooling brake drums, particularlyv those used with heavy vehicles such as trucks, buses. and 1 large cars.

In such vehicles the brake drum surface available is inadequate to dissipate the kinetic energy of the vehicle, without producing an excessive rise of temperature, which is likely to injure theV brake lining.

The present invention therefore contemplates n wm be understood that these inventive nous may of course be embodied in very many physical embodiments.. a few of which are disclosed in thepresent specication `and the more or less diagrammatic drawings accompanying the same and forming a part thereof.

increasing the cooling eect on the brake drums over that present naturally due to stray air currents or conduction of heat to other vparts of the vehicle, by intentionally producinga strong current of cooling air impinging on-the brake drum whenever the vehicle is in motion. thereby producing a cooling effect not only while the brake is applied but also between braking periods.

The invention contemplates forming preferably radial channels in the --outer face of the hub ange, in the spaces between the bolts which secure the brake drum to the wheel hub, so that a centrifugal blower effect will be provided by the rotation of the parts. causing some of the air to travel over the outer face of the brake drum while the remainder passes through said drum, through suitable openings.

Various other features may be used also to increase the cooling effect, such as providing circumferential channels on the outside of -the drums to be traversed by the air currents. and providing a separate member carrying radial vanes, to produce the air currents or assist in l their production.

The features of the present invention may be summarized as producing a cooling effect in various ways, such asfirst, forcing airacross the outside of the drum by a mechanism equivalent to a centrifugal blower located somewhere in the hub region.

A second method of` cooling would include the In said drawings; l Fig. 1 is a longitudinalsection, partly in velevation, showing cooling means incorporated in a rear wheel having dual tire rims thereon, wherein the brake drum is substantialiyinclosed within one of said rims; Fig. 2'is a fragmentary sectional view similarto Fig. 1 differing only in that it is takenat one of the wheel attaching bolts;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevationof the hub mounting flange of Figs. 1 andi, the' section being made on the plane indicated by the l line'I-3 of Fig. 2, the wheel flanges. and bolts being omitted;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the exterior,

of the brake drum and associated elements, partly broken away and partly in section on the plane indicated by the line H of Fig.'2:

Fig. 5 is ...fragmentary longitudinal 'section through a front wheel hub, rim and brake drum intended for supporting a single tire;

Fig. 6-is a longitudinal section, partly broken awayl,of a dual-rim wheel with its hub and brake Fig. 'I is a fragmentary elevation of a fan attachment for the brake drum, having radially directed vanes thereon. as used in Fig. 6;`

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal' section corresponding to Fig. 6 but having slightly modiiied vanes and providing also meansfor cooling the interior of the brake drum; y

above feature with the addition of simultaneously forcing airalso over the inner surface of thebrakedrumm ,Y

A third method contemplates` drawing the air across the outer surface of the drum by means of a centrifugal blower mechanism located outside the drum and adjacent the tire-holding A fourth method consists of the above with the added idea of drawing air out of the *inside of Finally, a fifth method consists'in combining all four of the above ideas, that is, both forcing and drawing air over both the inside and outside of the brake drum. v Y

Fig.' 9v is a longitudinal section through a fur- Y ther modified form oi!l cooling mechanism applied to a rear wheel'of the single rim type; and

Fig. 10 is 'a similar view of the corresponding front wheel.

In all the figures, corresponding parts are indi# cated by the same reference characters.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive. the Y axle li having keyways 2 formed in'its end, ysupports the correspondingly lkeyed hub cap 3 which is secured to the hub 4 yby lthe studs I, passing through holes l inthe hub cap l, and cooperating with the nuts l and lock washers l.

The hub l is mounted on the 'axle housing I by suitablebearingasuch as the .roller bearings il and Il 'heldin place by the nuts l and Il vwith lock washer Il between them. A cover disk i5 may be provided to close the end of theh'ub cap I, to prevent entrance of foreign matter. At theotherendofthshubapan llmaybe usedforthesamepurpose,beingsecuredto a` shoulder on the axle t by screws such as I1 andsealedtothehublbythesealingring il. The pan Il may have an outwardly turned oilthrowingedge Iltothrowanyoilleakingpast the sealing ring Il, which oil is caught by the out-turned edge 2| of the hanged ring 2l carried by the hub 4. and thus prevented from reaching the brake drum. This 'ring 2l is attached to the circumferential bolting-on hange 22 of the said hub by the studs 22 and nuts 24, said studs serving also for cooperatingwiththenuts 2ltosecuretheradially extending inner hangs portion of the support 24 for the brake drum'21 and the radial securing flanges of wheel bodies 2t, which support the tire holding rims 2l, which may be secured thereto in any suitable way, for example by means of rivets 32. The tires ll are indicated in dot-anddash lines merely to show the relative positions thereof.

It will be observed that thesaid two rims and their hanged wheel bodies 22 are identical with one another, so that they are interchangeable. The'end of the rim` 2l remote from the wheel body 2l is curved substantially as shown at 12, and advantage is taken of this coniizlirlttionl .to provide outwardly extending radial vanes 24 on the exterior of the brake drum 21, each vane having an outwardly extending flange Il at the end of the said drum, said radial vanes with their outwardly bent ends thus beingl accommodated within the inner rim 2l and following its general direction, although spaced apart therefrom. ,'lhe brake shoes or linings 21 which are accommodated withinthe brake drum` 21 are shown in dot-and-dash lines merely to indicate their relative position.

'Ihe hanged support 2O may have a series of apertures $8 in its peripheral hange portion 3l,

4 as shownbest in Pig. 4. The brake drum 21 may be secured to the flange portion 2l in any suitable way, for example by casting it directly upon said hange as indicated at 4I. The radial hange 22 of the hub 4 may also have a series of radially extending vanes such as 4| thereon, said vanes being located near the periphery thereof as shown best in Fig. 3, while between said vanes it is provided with the mounting lugs 42, which serve the double purpose of strengthening the flange 22 and spacing the mounting hanges 24 and 2l therefrom, so as to provide a relatively open air passage. These lugs have the boltl holes 4l therein to receive the studs 2l. r v As shown in Figure the hanged support 2l of the brake drum has lugs 44 struck therefrom at the bend where the peripheral hante` DOrtion 3l is formed thereon. The'free unattached end of each lug `engages the 'outer end of a radially extending mounting lug 42 for centering the brake drum 21 on the hub 4 and for holding the same concentric with said hub. v

Referring now to the structure illustrated in Fig. 5, there is shown a front wheel hub 44 carrying a single wheel body 2) .and rim 2l and a brake drum 49 having a brake shoe lll therein. The said brake drum may be secured to the hub by means ofthe hanged support Il having the peripheral portion B2, secured to the brake drum 49 in any suitable way, as by casting it around said vhangs and this hange also has the openings 1l The outside of the brake drum has a series of radial cooling vanes Il thereon. The hub 4l contains the customary bearings. only the outer races I4 and Il of which are indicated, and a suitable 5 cap or closure member I4 may be attached to the end of the hub in` any desired way, for example by the cap screws i1, with lock washers il under their heads. A

' The hub 4l has a circumferential hange 58 for lo securing the brake drum and tire rim to the hub,

and the construction of this hange is in general like that shown in Figs. 3 and 4, that is, air passages are provided as shown at Il, saidpassages bin8 arranged in the spaces between the lugs, as

before.

Referring now to Fig. 6, there is shown a somewhat difi'erent form of device, wherein the vanes or hns on the exterior of the brake drum run circumferentially instead of radially. In this hgure 0 there is shown a wheel hub 10, having the bearing races 1| and 12 therein,l and a flange 11 extending circumierentially outward therefrom. To this flange 11 is secured the hange 18, forming a partof the brake drum il, as well as the hanges tl of the wheel bodies supporting the rims Il. There is a curved wheel body portion 42 between each flange Il and its rim 43, and the rim is secured at or near the end of this portion l2 by any suitable means. such as the rivets 22.

Aa before, the studs 2l and nuts 24 and 2l serve to secure all the parts together as shown.

Air passages 1I are provided as in the other forms, by appropriate shaping' of the circumferential hange 11.` These passages, continuing be- 3J tween the brake drum 8l on the one hand and .the curved wheel body portion 42 of each rim support, together with its rim 4I, on the other hand, finally terminate in the curved edge portion 44 of the rim Il. Instead of the radial vanes on the brake drums of the preceding forms, cirner, for example by means of the screws 14, passing through holes 13 in the ring, as shown in Fig. '1. An air passage leading between the exterior of the brake drum and the interior of the rim and its supporting harige is thus provided. l The form shown in Fig. 8 is substantially the same as that of Fig. 8, with the exception that the ring 1l, bearing the vanes'14, is shaped somewhat differently, as shown, and in addition thereto a further ring Il, can'ying'vanes Il extending below the vanes of the ring 1l, is also provided. 'lhe function of last-named `set of vanes is to produce a current of cooling air, traversing the inside of the brake drum It, and in order to accomplish this it is preferred to provide a relatively stationary pan-shaped closure member 22, having the dehector ring I3 thereon. to substantially close the inner end of the brake drum so that any air current produced by the vanes 2| will be drawn through theinside of the drum.

Finally, Figs. 9 and l0 disclose the rear and front hubs of a still further modihed form. The rear hub I4 has the races 25 and l! therein, and

has a circumferential hange or spider l1 extend- 7 ing outward therefrom, to define air passages Il between it and the securing flange I9 of the brake drum l0. The rim I4 has a hanged wheel body Il, attached thereto in any desired way, as by spot weldsor rivets I4, and this wheel body meren, to snow cooling en ropas: theretiuoush 1s l has its racially inner flange held to the spider $1 by the studs Il cooperating with nuts 92 and 93.

'I he front wheel-hub I1, oi' Fig. 10, has the races 9| and 99 therein,`and may be sealed by the screw cap I! in the customary way. It will be seen that the circumferential flange ill' is somewhat deeper than thatof Fig. 9, so that the diameter of the circle of studs I will be the same in the two figures, to make it possible to use a single standard size of brake drum `and tire rim on front and rear wheels. The air passages I02 corresponding to the air passages Il are therefore slightly longer than the latter, but otherwise are not materially different.

In operation, referring first to Figs. 1 to 4^, inclusive, it will be seen that when the hub and its connected parts are in rotation, when the vehicle is in motion, a current of airfwill be drawn into the hub in the direction shown by the series of arrows, this air-stream passing between thebrake supporting ange 2S and the hub flange 22. and then dividing into two currents, one lof which washes over the vanes Il while the other flows through the inside of the drum 21.

This air stream is produced by several cooperating elements, namely the vanes -42 formed on the hub flange 22, and the vanes 34, 35 formed on the outer surface of the brake drum. The vanes l2 act to force or push a current of air in the direction of the arrows, while the vanes 34 and their extensions 35 at the same time produce a centrifugal suction effect, which will aid the rst-named vanes 42. i

It should be particularly observed that the vanes 3| have the double function of producing an air current and of simultaneously acting. as

heat radiating or cooling means for the brake drum. By proper proportioning of the sizes of apertures 38, it becomes possible to control to a certain extent the relative amounts of air flowing in the two paths, so that the desired amount of cooling air may flow through the inside of the brake drum.

'Ihe same operation occurs also in the form shown in Fig. 5, in which air is both forced and drawn, over both the inside and outside of the brake drum, and in this form the cooling air ows along the vanes on the brake drum.

However, in the forms shown in Figs. 6 and 8,

the air flows across the cooling fins on the outside of th'e brake drum, which in these forms of device do not themselves act as impellers. In Fig. 6, there'is a combined force and suction effect. The air current is here initially produced by the arms of the spider acting as centrifugal irnpeller vanes, and the effect thereof is augmented and assisted by the further set of vanes 69, which act as a centrifugal suction pump. The current of air thus produced by the combined suction and pressure effects flows across the fins 66 on the outside of the drum 65, to dissipate the heat, and the cooling eiect may be still further improved, if desired, by means of the radial fins or vanes |03 and |04 which may be formed on the outer surface of the brake drum, and its supporting ange, as shown in Fig. 6. These vanes, incidentally, may also have a slight assisting effect in producing the air current, which will Vflow approximately in the path shown by the series of arrows.

While in Fig. 6 the flow of air follows a path solely washing around the outside of thebrake drum, in the Fig. 8 form the two sets of. vanes 18 and 8| will produce two separate currents, by

suction, said currents following the 'paths shown in very many other forms, and moreover the by the arrows, and being respectivelyoutside and inside the brakedrum. Finally, in the forms shown in Figa. 9 and l0, which are identical in operation, the current of v cooling air is produced by the arms or varies of the hub spider', actingas a' centrifugal blower. to force the air current over the upper surface oi' the brake drum. In all the forms, it will be understood that a certain amount of air now.

would take place even without the provision of varies, because ofthe natural .friction ofzthe air against' the rotating surfaces, but the cooling effect is enormously increased by the provision. of such specicimpellers.

While in the present specification and drawings severaI specific embodiments and modiflca- 4 `tions of the invention have been disclosed, it

should beclearly understood that the particular forms shown are merely illustrative of the vinventiveV concepts, and in no way constitutes. complete or exhaustive exposition thereof. Obviously,'the invention is capable of embodiment present disclosure is largely diagrammatic in nature. Therefore, for a full understanding oi"v thev scope of the present invention,vreference should be had solely to the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a hub having a body portion and a radial bolting-onfiange projecting therefrom having axially spaced inner and outer seating faces, one ofsaid axial seating` faces of said flange being formed with circumferentially spaced radial ribs terminating substantially at the outer periphery of the flange. a brake drum having a support including a- 'radial securing yflange extending inwardly close to. but slightly spaced from, the hub body and overlapping and secured to saidface of the hub flange, said ribbed hub flange and the inner overlapping portion of the brake drum flange providing radial passageways of substantially the radial depthl of laid flange open at their radially inner and outer ends,

said radial passagewa'ys acting in the rotation of the hub and drum, as a centrifugal blower, a demountable wheel body and rim assembly also having a ange portion extended .close to, but slightly spaced from, the hub body and secured to said hub flange in substantially parallel relation to the brake drum flange. said wheel body and rimassembly outwardlyof the hub flange being so disposed with respect to said drum and its securing flange as to provide an axially extending fully open-ended annular passageway between the rim and brake drum, said passageway communicating freely with the radially outer ends of said radial passageways and through which the air from said outer ends is led over the brake drum to cool the same.

2. The combination according to claim 1 in which the axial end of the drum remote from its -securement to the hub has a generallyradially' outwardly directed extension and .the adjacent axial end of the rim has a generally radially outwardly directed tire-retaining ange spaced from the extension. of the drum, and circumferentially spaced generally-radially extending cooling vanos projecting into the space between said drum extension and said rim flange, said vanes'acting in conjunction with said radial passageways as a second centrifugal blower to force `air over the drum to cool the same.

3. The combination according to claim 1 in which the periphery of the drum remote from its securement to the hub is provided with generally radially arranged axially-extending vanes pro-- 'i Jecting into said open-ended annular passageway tially across thespace betweenl the opposed radial extensions, these vanes providing radial passageways :supplementing the blower eiect, of the radial passagewaysat the hub to force air over the brakedrum to cool 'the same.

5. This combination according to claim l in which the' radial ribs are provided on the axiallyv outervtace ofthe hub ilange whereby the radial, passagewaysopen at their radially innerendsto the axiallysouter sideof the wheel, openings being provided in the brake drum support generally radially-:outwardly of its securing ilange and the radialpassageways whereby air i'orced through the passageways is caused to ilow both past 'the radially outer andthe radially inner faces of the drum to cool the same.

6. The combination according to claim 1 in v which the ribs are formed in, and the brake drum iiang'e secured to. the-axially inner faceot the hub ange, and the wheel body and rim assembly are secured to the axially outer face of the .hub Bange.'

of saidv passage adjacent the securement of the parts to the hub, the peripheries o! said drum and rim remote irom their securement to the hub each having generally radial extensions in opposed spaced relation forming a generally radially extending annular passage therebetween, cirtionalv set being arranged to draw cooling air inner'face ot the drum.

across the'radially CAROLUS L. EKSERGIAN. 

